Captain Kirkup slams ‘lazy’ Jarrow Roofing

Daniel McSkimming

JARROW Roofing captain Dan Kirkup has slammed his side’s recent performances and says they look like a team facing a “relegation battle.”

After looking set to finish the campaign in the upper reaches of Northern League Division One, the Roofers have suffered a slump in form.

They have only won four matches since the turn of the year and go in to Saturday’s home clash against Marske United on the back of a 5-1 mauling at North Shields – a run of form that has left Kirkup furious.

“I’m sure a lot of people at the club are feeling as annoyed as I am at the minute for the way we are turning what was looking like an excellent season into an average one.

“Before Christmas we could do no wrong and were flying; now you would think we were a team that looked like they should be in a relegation battle.

“The Jarrow Roofing before Christmas had 11 lads on the pitch and five on the bench who would run through brick walls for each other, we would graft as a team, we were hard to beat by keeping clean sheets and with a real cutting edge going forward.

“At the moment we have none of that and as far as I’m concerned it all comes down to one thing: workrate.

“We look so lazy and look like a team that are happy to finish mid-table and then enjoy the summer.”

Despite falling to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Shildon last time out, Marske are still firmly in with a chance of clinching the title this term.

They have only lost once in the league this year and lie in fourth place with 57 points from 27 games, and Kirkup has warned if the squad don’t start working as a unit they are in for another tough afternoon.

“I know one thing: if we don’t have 11 players at the races it will be a long afternoon,” he added.

“We really need to repeat our away performance from earlier in the season where we beat Marske away 2-0 by running our socks off for each other, putting bodies in front of everything and creating chances. That must start happening again.”

Manager Richie McLoughlin is set to welcome back Anth Myers and Jamie Marshall for the game after the duo missed the defeat at North Shields – where he was only able to name one substitute.